Destiny: Memories of Water Chapter 9
The Call To Fight
By IceWolf645
I fell back onto my rear end as the ship lurched violently. A primal scream rang out, causing more chaos than was already underway. Ruka covered her ears and crawled over to her mother's side, trembling. Sanya closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
"This isn't happening!"
But a sudden burst of wood, showing a gigantic, scaly, clawed hand indicated that it was indeed happening, and that the Crusaders were having a bit of trouble. I peered through the hole, trying to get a glimpse of the creature, and saw a tremendous monster, almost bigger than the deck itself, which was large enough to house quite a few of Besaid's huts. It's teeth were yellowed and spread out in all sorts of crazy directions, when it closed it's mouth quite a few of them stuck out from under its black lips. A dark green tongue, dripping with saliva, lolled out of the beast, giving it an insane look. Its nose was shaped like half of an arrow, and it's tiny yellow eyes blinked furiously out of its ugly face. It hissed and lunged at an unseen person, forgetting that its hand was still stuck in the hole, and for a second its charcoal-colored underbelly showed for an instant before the monster slammed back into the ground, causing the floor to begin to crack. It leapt to its feet and pulled its wrist free from what held it, causing a lot of the boards to fall to the ground, or at least start to, because a call of "Fira!" stopped them from reaching the ground whole.
"It's not safe here anymore!" one of the villagers shouted, pointing towards the bending wood of the ceiling.
"Down below! Go!" Kimahri shouted. He was on his feet, spear in hand, bandages and wounds forgotten. Wakka and Lulu had also stood, Lulu possessing one of the magical dolls, and Wakka equipped with a blitzball, which was covered in spikes.
"Kimahri! Stay here!" Yuna ordered, rod in hand. Kimahri glared at her, as if to ask why, and she said, "We can't leave them by themselves. If any smaller fiends get down here, you handle them. You're still hurt, please remember that!" The Ronso warrior grunted and motioned for us to follow him.
Rikku stood from where her daughter was hugging her tightly. "Mamma!" Ruka protested, small tears in her eyes, mingling with the salty rainwater that was pouring through the open hole. Rikku fitted a pair of clawed gloves to her hands and walked away.
"I'm sorry, Ruka, but I have to go," Rikku said, ignoring the scared protests of her frightened daughter. "Go with Kimahri! We'll be fine!"
Ruka stood shakily and nodded, tears flowing freely down her face, and she ran past me. I stood there, dumbstruck. Kimahri grabbed my hand and pulled me along as he ran. When we stopped he looked at me and said quietly, "Destiny save Kimahri, Kimahri will save Destiny. Kimahri protect." I smiled and uttered a small thank you. He nodded, and pushed me gently behind a large door. He then closed it and began his guard over us.
I walked over to where Ruka and Sanya were sitting; both of them were in a corner, looking almost desperate for comfort. I didn't know what to say, so I just sat beside them and pulled my legs up to my chest.
I could hear the commotion up above, and after awhile I began to feel something. It was tiny at first, but with each sound of a thud or a crack it began to grow. It took time to recognize it, but I knew what it was in time. Guilt. I felt guilty that there was nothing that I could do. I felt guilty that I wasn't fighting beside them or standing guard with Kimahri. I felt helpless as well. I was just a pitiful little girl, sitting there safe and sound as others fought for my safety. It wasn't right. I gritted my teeth and felt a hot surge of anger. It wasn't right!
The villagers, who'd been talking in hushed whispers, quieted suddenly. An intense silence filled the ship, causing a sense of apprehension.
"Is it over?" one daring young man asked.
"Quiet!" the elderly woman who was sitting beside him snapped.
A sudden crack was heard, and a scared mother, clutching her baby to her stomach uttered what all were thinking, "The boards! The boards! They're falling in!" A crash and a thunderous roar from Kimahri set the people into panic once again.
"What will we do?"
"We're doomed!"
"The ship will sink!"
Ruka and Sanya looked frightened to death. No tears would come, they couldn't cry because it had been shocked out of them. I let my legs fall from my arms and closed my eyes. The dragon from Besaid flew through my mind, swinging his sword in one of his powerful hands.
'Dragon, if you're there, please come now!'
No answer. I hadn't expected one, but it had been a desperate thought.
'I'm useless..'
I stood on my feet and took a deep breath.
'I can't even help the people that've taken me in and done so much for me.'
I looked down at my soaked tunic, one of Sanya's old ones, and my torn blue jeans. I wanted to cry.
'Crying! I'm not the one suffering!'
I clenched my fists as the first tear came and trailed down my cheek. I forgot to reach up an wipe it off, and it eventually reached my lips, sending a small salty taste into my mouth and onto my tongue.
'I can't feel sorry for myself! I have to help, somehow!'
A strong, clear voice echoed through my head, sounding young and old at the same time, both deep and with the feel of someone my age.
'That's more like it, my friend,' it uttered in my mind. 'I am here to protect you and those close to you. Accept that I am real, and I will do it without needing your call, but deny me and I cannot help you!'
I dropped to my knees, surprise flowing through every vein in my body. The world was darkening, and I was feeling something strange, like part of me was separating itself from the other half. I held onto my consciousness and pulled myself to my feet, which had begun to glow with a warm light. The light began to spread to all parts of my body, and I felt like that other half was pulling, trying to escape. I didn't notice the people staring at me, or Sanya and Ruka, who were awestruck.
The pulling sensation intensified, and I saw something else forming, something large, causing the people to back against the wall, terrified of this ghostly apparition, which was slowly taking the form of a dragon with gentle blue eyes and golden skin, with a sword across his back and crouching on all fours. My consciousness began to waver as the dragon slammed its way into the next room. A single roar was the last thing I heard before my mind gave up trying to stay active, and I fell to the floor slowly, hearing nothing but the soft thud my body made against the wood.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The abominable creature had its back to me. The ignorant beast ignored the crash I made as I slammed through the wall and kept its attention on the small figure trapped in its scaly grip. It licked its lips hungrily and bent down to feast on her. The rest of the people, those who were still holding on, tried to free her, but the monster's grip was stronger than anything they could throw at him, and his hide was like steel. It resisted all spells, which a weakened Lulu desperately cast, everything from 'Flare' to 'Ultima'.
A shaking Yuna turned and locked eyes with me. Her staff was broken, and she was bleeding from a gash in her side. I roared in rage at seeing them like this.
Before the dumb beast could turn around, I had reached my glittering sword above my head and impaled it, watching as it dropped Rikku and looked down at its middle, before breaking slowly into a flood of pyreflies and disappearing with a slow, gurgling groan. I pulled back my sword and stared through the hole that had been made and out into black sky, where rain was still falling on the wounds of many Crusaders.
I am Guardian, the soul aeon of Destiny. She and I are one, and she and I will not stand for sitting out of a battle that we could fight.
She has the soul of a warrior!